Cultivation, Inc.I Use Capitalism to Fix a Dying Sect

Chapter 187: Raining Points at the Drop of a Hat

For the next several days, Sun Yi practically lived inside the Scripture Library. He assembled a dedicated research team of cultivators to scour the shelves, pulling every text that contained even a passing reference to “Spirit Locking.”

The Qingyun Sect’s library was no longer the modest collection it once was. Having absorbed the centuries-old archives of both the Black Wind Stockade and Evil Spirit Valley, the sheer volume of scrolls and jade slips was staggering. Even with Sun Yi’s domineering divine soul allowing him to speed-read, consuming this mountain of information was no small feat.

On the fifth day, the expeditionary force led by Elder Jin Jue and Elder Li Tai returned.

Over a thousand cultivators stood in formation on the Qingyun Sect’s central plaza. Sun Yi emerged from the Scripture Library to greet them, his eyes sweeping over the ranks. He nodded in satisfaction. The change was palpable. These weren’t just disciples anymore; they carried the sharp, iron-blooded aura of veterans.

“Excellent,” Sun Yi’s voice projected clearly across the square. “I am thoroughly satisfied with your performance. I have seen the reports—you have not only purged the Demon Beasts and brought peace to the Chaos Demon Commandery, but you have also carved out a reputation for our sect. You have shaken the world with the might of Qingyun.”

Hearing the Headmaster’s praise, the disciples puffed out their chests, their faces glowing with pride.

Sun Yi smiled, his tone shifting to one of warmth. “Most importantly, the vast majority of you have returned alive. That brings me the greatest comfort. There are still missions ahead, and I hope you will continue to strive until the glory of the Qingyun Sect illuminates every corner of this land.”

He paused for effect, then raised a hand. “Now, for the matter of compensation. The Sect will purchase all Demon Beast materials you have harvested at full market price. Furthermore…” He swept his gaze over the eager crowd. “Every disciple who participated in this campaign will receive a direct bonus of 50,000 Points!”

The silence held for a split second before the plaza erupted.

“Whoa! Another 50,000?!”

“The Headmaster is insane—in the best way possible!”

“He’s buying our loot and giving us a bonus? That’s practically free money!”

“Raining Points at the drop of a hat—that’s the Headmaster’s style! I love it!”

“This is huge! With these Points, I can finally afford another bottle of Qingyun Dew!”

“Right? Qingyun Dew is miraculous, but the price is killer. This bonus saves my life.”

“Long live the Headmaster! Best Headmaster in the world!”

“Hehe, if the other sects knew how good we have it, they’d be begging to defect to the Qingyun Sect.”

The atmosphere transformed instantly from a military debriefing into a joyous festival.

However, standing beside Sun Yi, Elder Jin Jue’s eye twitched. He did a quick mental calculation: over a thousand people, 50,000 Points each… that was a 60 million Point payout in a single breath.

“Headmaster,” Jin Jue whispered, his voice trembling slightly. “Is this… perhaps too much?”

“Too much?” Sun Yi glanced at him calmly. “I don’t think so. Consider the economics, Elder. All War Hall disciples have now opened the Five Gates. Their metabolic rate for spiritual energy has tripled or quadrupled. They burn through resources like furnaces.”

Sun Yi gestured to the cheering crowd. “Furthermore, look at the exchange rate for Heavenly Soul Liquid. 50,000 Points might sound like a fortune to an outsider, but for a cultivator seeking rapid advancement, it barely covers a few vials. It’s necessary liquidity.”

“As the Sect’s resource consumption ramps up, we will also need to restructure the compensation packages for the Management tier,” Sun Yi added thoughtfully. “We’ll finalize that once Elder Qin Chu returns.”

Hearing this breakdown, Elder Jin Jue nodded slowly. He realized he was still thinking with the mindset of a small, resource-starved sect. The Qingyun Sect was operating on a different scale now.

“My apologies, Headmaster. My vision was too narrow. Your calculations are precise as always.”

Sun Yi waved his hand dismissively. “You’ve worked hard, Elder Jin Jue. Now that the immediate crisis is resolved and the Patriarch is overseeing the sect, you are relieved of duty. Go. Switch your cultivation to the Five Elements Art.”

Jin Jue’s eyes lit up. He had been yearning to convert to the new cultivation method, but his duties had kept him tethered to administration.

“Are you certain? I don’t need to handle the logistics?”

“Rest easy. The Chaos Demon Commandery is stabilized. We don’t need Golden Core cultivators patrolling the streets anymore. With the Patriarch and myself here, the sky won’t fall. Your priority is to increase your strength.”

Sun Yi knew that Jin Jue was powerful. Once he converted to the Five Elements Art, his combat prowess would leap forward again. This was the most efficient way to bolster the Sect’s hard power. It wasn’t just Jin Jue; Ouyang Zhong, Xia Xing, and the other Elders would soon follow suit.

“Very well. I entrust the Sect to you, Headmaster.”

“Go on.”

Jin Jue departed to arrange the logistics for the returning disciples before entering seclusion.

The War Hall disciples were separated from the main group and sent directly to the back mountain for intensive training. The ranks of the War Hall had swelled to over 810 members—roughly one-fifth of the entire Sect.

Sun Yi reviewed the roster with satisfaction. These eight hundred were the iron core, verified by the Heart Questioning Array. In just over a year, he had built a praetorian guard of absolutely loyal cultivators.

As time went on, this number would only grow. Future recruitment would include mandatory ideological education, ensuring that loyalty to the Sect became part of the curriculum.

While the War Hall trained, the remaining disciples were directed to Elder Han Yun to assist in the construction of the Qingyun Dao Palace, accelerating the infrastructure projects.

Simultaneously, Sun Yi issued a special summon.

Deep within the main peak, in a newly cleared training ground saturated with Spiritual Qi, 53 elites gathered.

These were the cream of the crop—disciples at the late Foundation Establishment stage or higher who had passed the Heart Questioning Array. Among them stood Luo An, the first disciple Sun Yi had ever met, and Lin Yi, who had once guided him to the treasure vault.

Both were now at the Foundation Establishment Grand Perfection stage. Yet, they stood before a massive chasm.

The Golden Core realm.

Even for a genius with a High Grade Spirit Root, the odds of breaking through to Golden Core were brutally low—perhaps one in ten would succeed.

A Golden Core Pill could increase those odds by 20 percent. With additional rare herbs and secret techniques, one might push the success rate to 50 percent.

But the Qingyun Sect had no Golden Core Pills. Those treasures were rarer than diamonds, far harder to obtain than Foundation Establishment Pills.

However, Sun Yi was undeterred. He didn’t need pills. He had a theory.

He believed that by pushing the limits of Qi, Body, and Soul—Trinity Cultivation—one could brute-force the breakthrough. These 53 disciples were about to become his proof of concept.